Spurs blip is over - Bale

26 March 2012 04:47

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Gareth Bale has warned Arsenal that Tottenham have turned a corner and are determined to beat their north London rivals in the battle for third place in the Barclays Premier League.

Tottenham held a 12-point lead over Arsenal in February but a winless run of five matches means Harry Redknapp's team now trail the Gunners by three points with eight matches of the season remaining. But there were big signs of encouragement for fans of the north London club when they earned a creditable 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Saturday.

Ahead of what promises to be an emotional FA Cup quarter-final clash against Bolton on Tuesday, Bale told Spurs TV Online: "It was vitally important that we put in a good performance and got a positive result at Stamford Bridge. Now hopefully we can get back to winning in the next game and then kick on and get that third spot."

He added: "We need Arsenal to lose now so we can get back on level terms.

"The lads all know we have stopped the rot now. I think we have had our blip now and now we can look forward to some positive results and get back where we belong."

Spurs will hope to get back to winning ways in the league on Sunday when they welcome Swansea to White Hart Lane, but first they must overcome the difficult hurdle of beating Bolton in their rescheduled FA Cup quarter-final.

Nine days ago the original encounter was abandoned after 41 minutes following the on-pitch cardiac arrest of Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba.

The football world has united to get behind the 23-year-old as he continues to make a steady recovery that seemed highly improbable when he was rushed to hospital amid horrifying scenes at the north London ground.

There will be a minute's applause before Tuesday night's game and players from both sides will sign their shirts afterwards and auction them on ebay, with the proceeds going to the London Chest Hospital, where Muamba is being treated, and three charities.

Redknapp himself admitted Muamba's collapse had "knocked him flat", but he also knows what is at stake on the pitch on Tuesday night, and he said: "It (the FA Cup) is a big thing for us, definitely. I'd be bitterly disappointed if we didn't make the semi-final now. It's a game we want to win."